Takamatsu: Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge & Naruto Whirlpools Adventure

Our guide Liu Xiaohua was really informative and even though I don’t speak mandarin at all I could feel her enthusiasm and friendliness through her way of speech! Would definitely recommend this tour even if you don’t speak Japanese or Mandarin as this tour essentially pays for itself through the amount of travel that you get to do in one day plus the ride back to Takamatsu, you really are making profit. Bus driver was very skilled as well, especially important as our drive to the first and second location was high up in the mountains with very narrow roads. 10/10 would recomend and go again

Many thanks to team leader Xiaohua! This was my first time on this tour, and I truly felt the dedication of both the leader and the travel agency. It was incredibly thoughtful and offered amazing value for money! I highly recommend it, especially for travelers who enjoy independent exploration but prefer not to drive. The tour covers three scenic locations without any forced sales pitches. Walking across the Iya Vine Bridge felt like a reminder to slow down, and the nearby waterfall was a truly refreshing experience. The grilled sweetfish and grilled mochi that the team leader privately recommended were also definitely worth trying—I personally thought they were delicious! The boat ride at Oboke Gorge was very comfortable; the boat was stable, and admiring the beauty of the canyon helped me escape the hustle and bustle and clear my mind. For the final attraction, the timing for the Naruto Whirlpools was perfect. Of course, I paid extra to witness the beauty of one of the world's three great whirlpools. The boat ride was very safe, and it brought a beautiful end to this trip (I recommend checking the tide times for the Naruto Whirlpools online beforehand). Thanks again to the team leader and driver! I will definitely join again next time!

At only around HKD 300 per person, it's still considered good value for money. This price only includes admission to "Iya-no-Kazurabashi Bridge." The driver was very thoughtful, taking us through "Michi-no-Eki Takarada-no-Sato Saita" to admire the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The other two activities ("Oboke Gorge Sightseeing Cruise" and "Naruto Whirlpools Sightseeing Cruise") required an additional payment of JPY 3,500 per person. In Tokushima, we were scheduled for the last sightseeing cruise at 16:20, missing the best time to see the "Naruto Whirlpools." The tour guide was very friendly, polite, attentive, and extremely helpful to the group members. This is a highly recommended day tour to join when visiting Takamatsu.

The tour was conducted in Chinese, which I didn’t know beforehand, haha! So I couldn’t really understand any of the explanations since everything was in Chinese. Other than that, I’m still glad I joined this tour because visiting these three destinations on my own would have been quite difficult. Overall, it was a convenient way to see all three places in one day!

Many thanks to tour guide Liu Xiaohua for the kind and meticulous service! This trip was absolutely incredible value for money. The attractions in Shikoku are quite spread out, and arranging transportation independently would take a huge amount of effort. This tour allowed us to visit the three most important attractions in Tokushima in just one day, saving us the hassle of navigating transfers ourselves. All three locations are must-see scenic spots in Shikoku, and they also offered a refreshing escape from the hot summer weather. The entire trip was very comfortable, and the experience was fantastic. Thank you, Tour Guide Xiaohua, for giving me such a wonderful day!

An amazing tour! Being able to efficiently reach these hard-to-reach areas on your own in just one day was fantastic. All three spots and experiences were wonderful. A special thanks to our guide, Mr. Zining, who was attentive, polite, and patiently answered all our questions. He also introduced many great tourist spots and local foods in Shikoku, and the schedule was very well-managed so we could successfully see the whirlpools. A truly wonderful day!

Our Japanese driver was incredibly dedicated, taking us to every stop, especially ensuring we made the 3:45 PM boat to see the largest whirlpool. This itinerary is quite long, about 10 hours from start to finish, but the driver showed no signs of fatigue, which we greatly appreciated. The Chinese-speaking tour guide was very enthusiastic and helped us take photos. However, their Japanese language skills were not very strong, and they also struggled with English, which was a bit of a shame. Nevertheless, the guide safely led us to all the attractions, and we had a great time. All in all, for those who want a single-day experience of the Oboke Gorge boat ride (very comfortable and beautiful), the Iya Valley Vine Bridge (a short but thrilling bridge), and the Naruto Whirlpools in Tokushima (we saw spectacular whirlpools that day, which was amazing), I would still recommend joining this tour. It offers great value for money!

It was excellent. If you can speak even a little Japanese, you can communicate with the guide, and best of all, you can visit three scenic spots that would be difficult to see alone due to transportation, all with round-trip travel from Takamatsu. However, it was a shame not to see the Naruto Whirlpools when the waves were at their peak, so I'll probably go back separately if I get the chance.

Klook's tours are always a great value and packed with rich content, so I've actively joined their activities abroad. This time, I decided to join a tour in my home country of Japan with high expectations for my very first domestic booking. First of all, I think the itinerary is wonderful. Visiting these three famous spots in Tokushima independently using public transportation or rental cars would take a lot of time and effort, making it quite difficult. Being able to just sit in a comfortable bus and be taken there reduces the physical burden immensely. Furthermore, our guide, Li Ning, and the driver were truly kind, friendly, and wonderful. Although the tour was primarily conducted in Mandarin and English, and I was the first Japanese participant, they went out of their way to provide fluent, polite, and attentive Japanese support just for me. They told me to ask if I had any questions, and even during the journey, they were bright, cheerful, and approachable, making this trip even more wonderful. Also, everyone on the tour—especially the lovely women from Hong Kong and the participants from Taiwan whom I grew close to—were truly wonderful people, and I was blessed with a great group. We fully enjoyed the Kazurabashi Bridge and the Oboke Gorge sightseeing boat, and although unfortunately we didn't make it in time for the whirlpools, our guide Li Ning came up with an alternative plan so we could see the beautiful scenery of the Seto Ohashi Bridge. Guide Li was worried that everyone would be disappointed about missing the whirlpools, but given the limited time and multiple sightseeing spots to visit, these things happen, and the Uzunomichi walkway we visited as an alternative was also wonderful. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Guide Li, the driver, and all the participants for sharing such wonderful memories with me. Thank you very much. I highly recommend this tour, starting with the content of the itinerary, the guide's high language proficiency and kind guidance, the driver's careful driving that gets us to destinations on time, and the spacious and comfortable bus. I definitely recommend it to Japanese travelers as well. It offers great value, the guide and driver are kind and wonderful people, and you can enjoy a fantastic experience efficiently and affordably. I'm so glad I participated, and I highly recommend it.

The tour guide was enthusiastic and responsible, even coming up with alternative solutions when our flight to Oboke was canceled. These attractions were places I wanted to visit but were difficult to reach by public transport, so joining a group day tour was very convenient. The time management was excellent; I never felt rushed. The natural scenery was beautiful.